It’s Ash Wednesday, one of the Western fitness world’s favourite holidays, because it’s a great excuse to spread diet culture messaging and guilt our clients (and prospective clients) into going HAM on their calorie restriction via a Lent Fitness Challenge.
If a trainer shared a protein pancake recipe yesterday (bonus points if they made the mix using their protein shaker because, “look how convenient and easy that makes it!”), they’re bound to be peddling their latest 8- or 12-week challenge today.
I did no such thing (partly because, in the world of foods, I actually think that pancakes are highly overrated), as I decided that giving up your favourite things for several weeks that your birthday tends to fall in the middle of was a bad idea around about the same time I stopped believing in Santa.
But, there are some things that I’d dearly love for you to either start doing, rather than things to restrict. So, if you’d like to make a more positive commitment (and one you’re more likely to be able to stick to, because it doesn’t involve a daily calorie intake fit for a toddler), read on to see my recommendations.
Make Lent your season for stretching
I’ve been honest before about how I’m not the best at this. The temptation to look at the clock, and scoot straight out of the gym or studio door after a session is often high, particularly if you’ve got somewhere to be or hunger pangs are kicking in. So look at it this way: give yourself and your body five more minutes.
Five minutes of rolling around, releasing tight muscles, helping the waste product move through your body, and ensuring that you don’t groan every time you get up off the sofa later that day. Start. Reward yourself when you do it. Keep going.
This Lent, start cheering instead of comparing
I promise I won’t throw a trite quote at you here. What I will do is share a story with you. I still compare myself to lots of other gym goers, particularly women. I think it’s pretty natural. However, a few years ago, I was both impressed and intimidated by one woman. I thought I’d never be anywhere near as good as her.
One day, she looked at me and said, “I like your shoes.” I was so shocked by the realisation that she admired something about me (even though it was my outfit rather than my technique, I decided that a win was a win), but I managed to pay a genuine compliment in return, “thanks, I like your leggings.” And then we became friends.
The next time you find yourself comparing yourself to another person, try flipping it around to find a compliment for them, rather than a criticism of yourself. You don’t have to share it with them, it’s for the benefit of your brain. When you next hear yourself think, “I’ll never be that good,” try reframing it to, “wow, I bet that person’s practiced a lot,” and observe the difference in your feelings.
Your challenge for Lent is to do things you like
I don’t know who decided that fitness and exercise should be a punishment, rather than a pleasure, but I’d kind of like to meet them and ask. I was initially in this trap myself – my fitness journey started with running because I wanted to Get Fit, and I thought that Fit People ran.
I chased the mythological runner’s high, assuming it’d show up at some point. And I tried strength training at first because I guessed that it would make me a better runner, and that then maybe the high would come.
Instead, what happened was that I realised I liked lifting. And that the problem wasn’t me, it was that running wasn’t for me, and that was ok. I stopped running. I kept lifting. I consider myself lucky to have found my preferred activity on the second try, it could’ve taken a lot longer. What also happened sooner than it might’ve was accepting that I just didn’t enjoy something, and could do something else.
If you don’t like one activity, there are plenty more to try (and it’s ok to not like things).
Lent is going to be the time you start feeling confident in the gym
Ok, so this IS a big one. I get asked over and over again how to do it. I get told I look really confident. And mostly I am. Because I’ve decided that confidence comes down to two things: practice, and acceptance.
There is absolutely no way that you get better at anything by not doing it. To increase your confidence, you have to keep trying, and keep putting yourself in that mildly uncomfortable situation to change the feeling. And before you throw yourself in, accept that it’s going to be that way for a bit.
Appreciate that it’s going to take time, effort, and discomfort whilst you change. Then put one foot in front of the other and trust that it will happen. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But something down the line will shift. You’ll feel differently about turning up (or leaving!). You’ll notice something that you like about yourself. You’ll find extra physical strength. And then everything changes.
Fitness during Lent is going to be about having fun
Radical, right? Lent is supposed to be about guilt and restriction and hardship. All of the stuff that the fitness industry loves. We don’t do that around here though. It’s time to celebrate what your body can do, rather than feeling ashamed of it. Go and use your vessel to have some fucking fun. You deserve it.